Obstacle
by Snow-Aquamarine
Summary: 9 teens, so different, yet shares the same fate, to have their freedoms taken away from them. When unexpected things happen, their masks will shatter, and things will unravel.
1. Beginnings

It was an early morning, and a girl just woke up. She was quite short and had a beautiful long hair with golden locks; she was dressed in a yellow silk nightgown. As soon as she opened her eyes, a pair of honey colored eyes could be seen.

She quickly got out of her king-sized bed which was in the middle back of her huge bedroom, while stifling a yawn. Her room was decorated in western style, there was a balcony next to her bed, there was a chandelier on the ceilings, she had a closet that looked like even an elephant could fit there, and a huge dresser. Simply put, she was filthy rich.

After she had gotten ready, she went downstairs, to the dining room to have her breakfast. In the dining room, there sat her parents, she quickly sat down, joining in. A couple of maids and butlers quickly served her with breakfast.

"Good morning Rima," Her father spoke.

"Good morning father, mother," She greeted her parents politely.

"Rima, today we are having a couple of guests over, so please be home quick," Her mother said straight to the point.

"I understand mother, then, I will be leaving for school," She said standing up, even though she barely touched her breakfast.

"Remember, you're a Mashiro, live up to that name, you're my daughter after all." Her father spoke in a cold voice.

"Yes, I understand father," And with that, she left the house.

Yup, she was Rima Mashiro, the only daughter to the Mashiro family, the owner of a big company chain, and she, being the only successor, was burdened with the weight of her parents' expectations ever since she was a little girl.

Whatever the circumstances were, she was not allowed to fail. She always had to be polite, thoughtful, intelligent, and charming. That was what her parents expect from her, and she couldn't disappoint them. She was aware of her situation ever since she was very little.

As soon as she got out of her house, she began walking to school, her school; Seiyou high school was not far from her house. And contrary to popular beliefs, she did not go to a prestigious high school or anything, Seiyou high school was not some prestigious school or anything, it was a normal school. Being an heir to a big company, she had to know the society and their circumstances well, and going to some prestigious high school would hinder that.

And as she only went to a normal high school, she should go there normally as well, besides, she liked the fresh morning air.

On her way to school, she met with one of her friends. She quickly greeted her politely, "Good morning Fujisaki-san," With a smile befitting a Mashiro.

A girl with a long purple hair, tied up in a pony tail, with a pair of ocher eyes, slender body, and elegant mannerism greeted her back, "Good morning to you as well Mashiro-san,"

The girl's name was Fujisaki Nadeshiko, she was a sophomore, same as her, a kind girl, popular with boys, and she even had her own fan club. She was also a part of the student council with Rima.

They were close to each other, and even could be considered best friends, but their politeness kept them from calling each other's first name.

"How was your weekend, Fujisaki-san," Rima asked politely.

"It was fine; it was rather uneventful though, what about you Mashiro-san?" She asked back, smiling sweetly.

"It was also fine," She answered back.

Soon, they were immersed in their conversation, and talked about all sort of things. After a while, they reached their school.

SEIYOU ACADEMY's sign could be seen on the front gate, and as they stepped into the school, their duties as students began.

The bell rang, indicating that school was over. Mashiro Rima quickly packed her stuffs and headed to the royal garden, where the student council always had meetings. Even though she had matters to attend to today, she would not skip the meeting, it usually didn't take very long, and skipping could harm her reputation.

As soon as she entered the royal garden, she was greeted with the greeneries. All sorts of plants were there, and in the middle of that greeneries, were a big white round table, which had 9 chairs.

All of the student council's members were already present.

Hotori Tadase, a sophomore, the president of the student council. He had a blonde hair and ruby eyes; he was a gentle, kind, and a polite person. Despite his rather feminine look, his leading ability was plausible, that was why he was chosen as the student council president.

Sanjou Kairi, a freshman, the vice president of the student council. He had green hair with a pair of sapphire eyes. He always had a stoic look, and his spectacles just added that impression. Even though he was still a freshman, he was trusted as the vice president because of his academic achievement, and he lived up to that expectation as he did a great job as being the vice president.

Hinamori Amu, a sophomore, the treasurer of the student council. She had a rather odd pink hair, and golden eyes. She was a cheerful and a clumsy person, she was also an optimist. She was chosen due to her popularity.

Souma Kukai, a junior, the sports section. He had an unruly brown hair, accompanied by a pair of emerald eyes. He was a cheerful and simple minded person; he was also energetic and hot-headed, he could never back down from a challenge. He was also the captain of the soccer team.

Hoshina Utau, a junior, the arts section. She had a long blonde hair, tied into pigtails, and a pair of amethyst eyes. Her demeanor was cold, but she was actually short tempered and a rather stuck up person.

Yuiki Yaya, another freshman, the social section. She had brown hair that reached her shoulder, and it was tied into pigtails with a pair of big red ribbons, she had a pair of red eyes. She was a very childish person, even though she was already in high school, she still tied her hair into pigtails, different for Utau, this hairstyle made her look really childish. She was an energetic and a rather spoiled person.

Tsukiyomi Ikuto, a senior, the tools section. A person with dark blue hair and amethyst eyes. His figure was tall even for his age. He was a quiet and calm person; he didn't speak much and rarely voiced his opinions.

And last but not least, Mashiro Rima and Nadeshiko Fuisaki as the secretaries of the student council.

She quickly took her seat beside Nadeshiko Fujisaki and greeted, "Good afternoon Hotori-san, Sanjou-san, Hinamori-san, Souma-san, Hoshina-san, Yuiki-san, Tsukiyomi-san, and Fujisaki-san." In one breathe.

"Good afternoon to you as well, Mashiro-san," Tadase replied politely.

The others just nod in acknowledgement, except Yaya who responded, "I told you to call me Yaya".

"I'm sorry Yuiki-san, but that would be impolite," Rima answered smiling.

"That's no fun; you, Nade, Tadase, and Kairi never call me by my first name!" Yaya exclaimed loudly.

Nadeshiko's response was a mere chuckle, while Kairi only adjusted his glasses. Rima just smiled.

"Aaaah! I don't know what is it with you guys!"

"I think we should start the meeting," Amu suddenly spoke.

"She's right. I don't usually want to make Tadase ramble right away, but I've got something to do today," Utau added.

"The pop star's right, we should hurry," Kukai said, calling Utau pop star, he once explained that he called her that because of her stuck up attitude that was just like a pop star. While smiling brightly.

Ikuto stayed silent, not voicing his thoughts, but he seemed to agree with it.

"Everyone's so mean today!" Yaya said loudly because no one took her seriously.

"Now now Yuiki-san, let's begin," Tadase started.

As expected, the meeting didn't last very long, everyone quickly went home.

When Rima got home, her father was in the living room, but her mother was nowhere in sight, this sight was quite rare, since he always came home late, but they were having guests over today, so it shouldn't be such a surprise.

Her father noticed Rima and spoke, "Rima, I expected you to be home earlier," He sounded his disapproval.

"I'm sorry father, I was a bit held up in the student council meeting," She answered while bowing her head.

Her father then spoke, "Rima, you should prepare yourself quickly, the guests will be here shortly, please put on something presentable". Not caring about her reason, as if saying excuses wouldn't work on him.

"Yes father," She answered and went to her room.

As her parents told her, when she reached her room, she quickly freshen herself up, and put on something more presentable than her school uniform.

She quickly joined her parents in the living room.

The doorbell soon rang, and as if on cue, her father stood up and spoke, "Come Rima, we must greet our guests."

"Yes father," The girl obeyed her father.

Who she met at the front door was beyond her imagination, but still she managed to hide her surprise, as the daughter of Mashiro family, she must always kept an elegant mannerism and showed dignity as a Mashiro, and being surprised was definitely not a Mashiro thing to do.

In front of her, there stood teens such as herself with their parents, each with their own parents. They were all dressed presentably. The atmosphere around them was extraordinary, indicating they were not any ordinary people.

Rima's father quickly greeted them, "Good afternoon, please come to the living room, it is more suitable to talk there," He said business fashioned.

And so, we all sat in the living room.

When all of them had settled down, Rima's father spoke, "I'm sure you all have known each other, but for formality, let's start with introducing ourselves."

Silence engulfed the room, it seemed that neither of them wanted to start this awkward introductions.

The leanest figure of the teens than stood up, and politely spoke, "My name is Tsukiyomi Ikuto, the heir of the Tsukiyomi Company, our company specializes in music industries, and we organize famous concert events and are always on the lookout for new talents, we also have a connection to Julliard as we are able to get some of their students to form contracts with us every year. Pleased to meet you all." And then sat back down.

When the young boy with midnight blue hair started, the others quickly followed suit.

A girl with brown hair, let down and golden eyes stood up. Her mannerism was very elegant as she gave a mature aura around her, "My name is Yuiki Yaya, the heiress of Yuiki Company, Yuiki Company attends to western dancing matters, such as ballet, break dancing and ballroom dancing. Our company hosts royal exams for aspiring dancers. Nice to meet you all." After her introductions, she sat back down.

A boy with green hair, blue eyes and stoic look with glasses stood up, "Sanjou Kairi would be my name, I am the heir of the Sanjou technology company. Our company is always in suit to find ways to make technology moves forward. Pleased to meet you." He said shortly and sat back down.

The petite girl didn't want to be the last to introduce herself, so she stood up, "My name is Mashiro Rima, the heiress to Mashiro toy company, our company doesn't only sell normal toys like dolls, but highly advanced toy gadget models. I am pleased to make you acquaintance." She said politely. From the corner of her eyes, she saw her father smiling proudly, satisfied by her introductions.

A girl with pink hair and golden eyes then stood up,"Hinamori Amu, from Hinamori engineerin company, our company is highly recognized for our medical technologies and our new project is to make artificial organ, such as hearts and lungs." She didn't end it with pleased or nice to meet you-s. And sat back down. Beside her, her mother didn't seem to look pleased with her daughter's introductions.

A boy with neatly combed brown hair and emerald eyes stood up, "My name would be Souma Kukai, from Souma Sports Company, and we don't only sell some sports stuff, but always actively creating new protein foods. It is a pleasure to meet you all." He introduced himself very politely, the teens beside himself was pretty much shocked, but in this circumstances, it would be rude to state their thoughts.

As soon as he sat down, a girl with long blonde hair stood up almost immediately, "Hoshina Utau is my name, and I am the heiress to Hoshina Company, the arts industries. There's not much to explain about it as we only actively release new bands and such, pleased to meet you." She said with a sweet smile and light voice.

The teens that introduced themselves were almost amused by her introductions, but the keyword was almost, anything was possible in this kind of situation they were in. The girl sat back down.

A boy with blonde hair and ruby eyes stood up, "My name is Hotori Tadase, My family doesn't own a company, but we have owned more than 20 schools all over Japan, international schools, private schools, public schools, and such. Ah, Seiyo academy is also one of our schools." He said in a sweet manner even for girls.

Only one person hadn't introduced himself, everyone was staring at him, realizing this, the boy stood up. As he stood up, his long purple hair swayed down, and his ochre eyes shone out of confidence, "Nagihiko Fujisaki, I am from the Fujisaki household, different from Yuiki, we specialize in cultural dancing from all over the world, Kabuki for instance, but anything else our company is rather similar to Yuiki's." The boy pondered about what to say for a moment, wanting to add more to his introductions, "Oh yeah, you all know me by the name of Fujisaki Nadeshiko at school." He said cheerfully and sat back down.

Exactly eight pair of eyes stared at him, wide eyed. This… was by far the most shocking revelations they had in this full of surprise day.

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><p>AN I'm sorry for my half-assed work. I know this is lame, but please read it till the end and review it, so I can fix the mistakes


	2. Petty Quarrels

"_Nagihiko Fujisaki, I am from the Fujisaki household, different from Yuiki, we specialize in cultural dancing from all over the world, Kabuki for instance, but anything else our company is rather similar to Yuiki's." The boy pondered about what to say for a moment, wanting to add more to his introductions, "Oh yeah, you all know me by the name of Fujisaki Nadeshiko at school." He said cheerfully and sat back down._

_Exactly eight pair of eyes stared at him, wide eyed. This… was by far the most shocking revelations they had in this full of surprise day._

The eight heirs all gave the young Fujisaki heir their undivided attention, all looking at him intently. Each has their own questions lingering on their minds.

A lady, elegantly dressed in a kimono, with her purple hair tied up into a bun, softly, but sternly spoke, "Why don't we leave them alone for a bit to settle things? I'm sure they would not comprehend it properly if we are to tell them the news now." The familiarity between her and Fujisaki Nagihiko couldn't be missed; she was certainly the current head of the Fujisaki household.

"That is a wise decision Fujisaki-san; let us go to some other room." Rima Mashiro's father complied the Fujisaki head's idea and lead the adults out of the room, but before he left, he turned around and face his daughter, "Remember Rima, even if I am not here, don't be disrespectful." He said in a demanding tone.

"Yes father," was his daughter only reply.

With the sound of the closed door, the room was engulfed in silence, the 9 teens, didn't say anything, and without them saying anything, the room was already tense.

That was until one person broke that heavy silence, "You think this is funny don't you?" The Hinamori heiress said, full of spite to the Fujisaki heir.

"My, my, whatever do you mean Hinamori-san?" The boy answered with a smile in a playful tone, playful, but still polite.

"Don't play dumb on us, and I suggest you wipe that smile off your face," The next rather threatening tone, came from none other than Hoshina Utau.

"I agree with them, you know what all of us want to know right Fujisaki-san?" Rima asked in a sharp tone.

"That's what I'm confused about, I don't know what you are talking about," He answered. His answer definitely pissed the other 8 teens, as the atmosphere got even tenser.

"I don't think it is wise for you to keep doing that, you know Souma's temper, and he might lung forward any moment now." Tadase inquired.

But contrary to his statement, Souma Kukai was sitting calmly, only observing the current situation at hand. But after hearing Tadase's statement, he finally spoke.

"Excuse me Hotori-san, I suggest you stop being a 'know it all' at our current situation, not only are you only making hasty assumptions, you are also annoying me."

To say everybody was stunned was an understatement, this Souma Kukai and the Souma Kukai they know at school was completely different person. In school, he was hot-headed and blunt. Well he was still blunt now, but he was being calm.

"He's right Hotori-san; you should not make assumptions based on our behaviors at school right now, as it will only be your downfall." A voice spoke; it turned out to be Yuiki Yaya, who recovered from her shock the fastest.

"Well you not being loud, annoying, a crybaby, and childish is certainly a proof of that." Nagihiko said, mocking the Yuiki's heiress.

"Well, Souma-san being calm and composed is certainly another one, and his hair, I could not imagine the day when I see his hair neatly combed like this." Rima continued.

Kukai decided to not respond to that statement, as he saw the situation he was in, was not a situation where he should make a big fuss.

But the Yuiki heiress did not think that far.

"Fujisaki-san, you should know better than to provoke me," Yaya stated in a threatening manner.

"Whatever do you mean Yuiki-san? I only stated a mere fact, that you were just an annoying crybaby at school." He provoked more.

"You-"Yaya stood up, and she was about to advance to Fujisaki's seat when-

"Yuiki-san," A stern voice interrupted, it belonged to Sanjou Kairi who had been quiet so far, "I think it's best for you to sit back down, we don't want to cause a commotion do we?"

"We won't settle our matters this way; we should calm down and think things through."

"I am certainly not taking any orders from you." Utau voiced her disapproval.

"Don't act so high and might here, this is not school, and you are not the vice president anymore," Ikuto said in a sharp tone.

Needless to say that this statement pissed him of very much, as he was only trying to come up to a solution for this matter.

"I-"He was about to retort something, but was cut by the Hinamori heiress.

"Yeah, here, we're not here to play 'friends' with you." Her hands doing a quotation mark.

They certainly were not; all of them are not on friendly terms. After their introductions, they all knew right away that the heirs present were all their rival companies' heirs. They didn't notice this at school because they only thought it was a mere coincidence.

After all, heirs like them were supposed to go to a prestigious school. But after realizing their mistakes, they vowed not to make another one like this.

Yuiki and Fujisaki's companies were rivals for obvious reasons, as they both took care of dancing industries, their rivalries were inevitable. And it certainly did not get better after Fujisaki Company announced that they were going to adapt Western dancing.

Sanjou and Hinamori companies were both trying to overwhelm each other. Hinamori's technologies were something that even the Sanjou Company wanted. There were already several cases of Sanjou Company sending a corporate spy to steal information from Hinamori Company.

Hoshina and Tsukiyomi companies both excelled in art industries. Hoshina Company also had performing arts industries, but it was never heard because of Tsukiyomi Company's existence. And recently, there were rumors that the Tsukiyomi Company would also open an art department.

In self entertainment, there were Mashiro and Souma companies. Mashiro kept launching toys that made people did not have to go out of their house to exercise and this was a threat to Souma Company.

Last but not least, Hotori's schools had varieties, it had astronomy, culinary, and even arts school. And the school would also manage their own graduates if they decided to enter the showbiz world. This did not go unnoticed by Yuiki, Fujisaki, Hoshina, and Tsukiyomi companies.

But that bothered them not, what they disliked the most, was how the others seemed to have everything they didn't. And these childish quarrels were what they used to vent their angers.

And it seemed that hating them all was kind of like a package, just hate all of them rather than just one, they might be a threat in the future, was their mindset.

"Look, I think we only want to know one thing here," Rima started.

"Fancy that, Mashiro-san can read minds now, I see." Amu blurted.

"Ah, where did that cute clumsy girl at school go…? I see you're just a fraud Hinamori-san," Utau commented.

"I'm better than you, people who act nice and polite to please your parents, and for your information, if I had known from the beginning who you guys were, I wouldn't act like that." She said in a voice full of venom.

"What would you act like then, Hinamori-san? A sulky bitch that is in front of us right now?" Ikuto, who had been silent the most, spoke.

"I don't think it's polite to say things like that Tsukiyomi-san, whatever she might've said, we should refrain ourselves from using such a language." Tadase spoke.

"I never remembered asking for you help Hotori-san. This is why you're such a pansy Hotori-san, as you can see, our parents are not here, you can cut the act, or you're a chicken just like that." Amu vented her anger at Tadase.

"Wha-"Tadase's face was red with anger, he could not believe this girl, all he did was try to help her, and was this how she repay him?

"Unfortunately I have to agree with that, you are too feminine Hotori-san." Kairi spoke.

"No argument there." Ikuto said.

"I thought it has been established from when we first met him." Rima Added.

"Is he not gay as well?" Yaya asked no one in particular.

"Did that not come with the package?" Nagihiko answered Yaya's question with a question.

"I think we all already know that, but what we want to know is what you meant by being Nadeshiko at school, Fujisaki-san." Kukai brought up a question that was forgotten when they started their arguments.

All eyes went back to stare at none other than Nagihiko Fujisaki. All other problems were forgotten. A normal person would have a nervous breakdown if they were in his place, as no ordinary person could handle a stare of people from their class. But he was no ordinary person.

"See, he was being straightforward, I think we could avoid that whole thing if you had just done that from the very beginning." Nagihiko answered.

"What are you procrastinating Fujisaki-san? You now know the question clearly, why is it that you have not yet answered the question? Or are you just too scared Fujisaki-san?" Rima provoked the young Fujisaki, accompanied by a small smile.

"Not at all Mashiro-san, I was just merely pointing out a fact, not avoiding the question Mashiro-san. I am a Fujisaki as you all know, that should explain it." He let out a statement that confused everyone.

"Could you please elaborate that Fujisaki-san?" Utau urged him to go on.

"Wow, to say that I am stunned is really an understatement. Do you all not know that a Fujisaki heir should be a girl? Therefore, I was raised as a girl. I thought all of you had more brain capacities than that, but here I am, being proven wrong, I guess I have overestimated you." He insulted the other heirs.

The others were certainly displeased as he was insulting them bluntly.

"Ah, then that must mean you also have gender issues like Hotori-san here." Yaya counter attacked.

"And that must also mean you are a cross dresser, are you not Fujisaki-san?" Tadase attacked as well, ignoring Yaya's statement.

"I am highly certain that you also have pleasures doing it right, Fujisaki-san?" Amu added.

"That's pretty pathetic of you Fujisaki-san, you of all people should know that your actions are futile, no matter what, you will never be a girl, and you will never be able to satisfy your parents who want and an heiress not an heir." Rima said voice full of acid.

Her statement was all it took to unleash the young boy's anger.

He launched himself at her in full speed, forgetting place and time. Even though he had lived as a girl for as long as he lived, it didn't mean he didn't do what boys normally do. Everyone in the room became paralyzed; nobody thought that the heir had that much hostility when he was so nice in school.

He was just an inch away from her when a voice spoke, so soft, so elegant, yet so stern, that caused him to stop immediately, "Nagihiko…" The voice only spoke his name, yet he became calm yet again.

The voice turned out to be his mother, standing at the door, with all other adults behind her.

"Nagihiko, what were you trying to do to Mashiro-san's daughter? We came by to check your progress, but I guess it was the right decision to come here."

"Mo-mother…" Was his only reply.

"Nagihiko, go back to your seat." His mother commanded. And went inside the room, the others followed suit, calmly, including Rima's father.

Rima thought that her father should at least be worried about her well being, but she was proven wrong. Her inside might be breaking, but she didn't let it show.

It was the same thing with the others, they should never let their true emotion show, and it came with the job prescription. For Nagihiko's case, it seemed like what the girl said crossed some kind of boundary.

"Well, since my son here had broken my trust, he almost hurt your daughter Mashiro-san; please accept my deepest apology for you and your daughter Mashiro-san."Nagihiko gave an incredulous look at this statement. He had lost his mother's trust.

The room became tense, nobody dared to spoke a word, and then, she continued, "Now, I will explain why we are all here. You all must already know that every each one of you here is an heir for your own company and industries right?" She asked to nobody.

"We, as the leaders of Japan's economy right now are about to form an alliance with each other to improve our own business, for example, I am sure if the Fujisaki company and the Yuiki company could fill each other's hole and cover all dancing types." She explained an example.

"But, some of us are unsure about this idea, I know it seems rather absurd to suddenly do this as we have been rivals for several years, but this idea benefits everyone. And so, a condition is made." She continued with her cool voice, ever so elegantly.

Rima was amazed by how the woman could keep her composure even at times like this, when the Fujisaki heir attacked her, she lost her composure for a second.

"And what condition is that, mother?" The son of the woman who was speaking asked.

"Why, it is rather simple, every each one of us wants to see who will lead the companies in the future, so we can rest assure of our companies' future. To put it simply, we want you to prove your worth."

Every heir were stunned, they never thought that the reason they were called was going to be this. But the Souma's heir pulled himself together pretty quickly, and asked," And how exactly do we do that?"

This time, the boy's father answered, "All of you will be tested in every aspect, such as leadership, teamwork, composure, quick decisions and such. The test itself will be hosted at your very own school, Seiyou high."

"What? Excuse me, old man, but how do propose we do that? We still have our school matters to attend to." Amu spoke rudely.

Her mother gasped at this, and spoke, "Amu! Watch your language! You are not to behave rudely to Souma-san. I am very sorry for my daughter's behavior Souma-san." Loudly and clearly.

"Well as I was saying, it will all be revealed in due time; we will inform you about all the details shortly, now if you will excuse us, us adults want to speak about certain matters."

"Rima, why don't you show your friends around the house, and then maybe have a tea in the garden." Rima's father suggested.

All teens rose from their seats and headed towards the door, one by one, they exited the room, but before one purple haired boy exited the room, he heard a warning from his mother, "Nagihiko, I expect the earlier incident will not happen again." In a very stern voice.

Nagihiko winced inwardly but smiled anyway, "Yes mother."

"And don't forget to apologize to Mashiro-san's daughter."

Was the last thing he heard before exiting the room.

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><p>Thank you for your review ponyopwnsyou143<p> 


	3. Rules

He was sitting alone in the Mashiro's garden, just sitting on one of the benches there, doing nothing. That day's excitement was enough for a lifetime, but still, he kept calm.

He just sat there doing nothing, his brunette hair shifting every once in a while due to the occasional winds. Souma Kukai was indeed in solitude.

When the teenagers stepped out of the living room, they immediately scattered, not caring for each other's existence. 9 of them went their own separate ways. Neither of them knew where each other went. But Souma Kukai ended up in the garden.

The garden itself was very elegant, there was a fountain in the middle, and there were all sorts of plants around, all in order. Of course there were also stone paths there. To put it simply, the garden was not extravagant, it served its main purpose as a source if scenery.

Souma Kukai sat on a bench in front of the water fountain. Being there, in a calm place, with the sound of water running down comforted him.

He was really surprised today, his friends, now enemies somehow, were all related to the world he was living in. He thought that Seiyou academy was full of normal students, from normal backgrounds. He thought that at least at school, he could be normal.

But now, even that, was taken away from him.

"_Well, Souma-san being calm and composed is certainly another one, and his hair, I could not imagine the day when I see his hair neatly combed like this."_

He chuckled as he remembered the Mashiro heiress statement. And then, the looks in his eyes became distant.

"Different… huh?" He asked no one in particular.

Why had it come to this? He wondered inwardly. He was once just a young innocent soccer loving boy. What had changed exactly?

His duty as a Souma heir, expectations from everyone around him, cold shoulders from everyone, and distant eyes from everyone.

But he could not be weak, that was the very rule of being an heir.

Snowie-Snowie NOMIE Aquamarine

The 9 of them were once again assembled in the Mashiro living room.

"We've discussed together on how we will execute your tests." Midori Hinamori spoke out loud.

"You will all come to school as usual; we will not interfere with any of your school duties." She continued.

"But on weekends, each and every one of you will spend the night at one of our houses in order to execute the tests. On whose house or when will you assemble, will always be informed to you on Friday."

Fujisaki head then clarified, "The test will be held from Saturday morning until Monday evening. And there are 9 totals of tests; each will be given by the current heads. So, if you are spending the night in Fujisaki residence, I will be the one to give the test."

"Now, are there any questions?" Aruto Tsukiyomi asked.

Yuiki Yaya, then raised her hand, Aruto looked at her, indicating for her to speak, and she asked, "How will you judge our qualifications as heirs?"

"Well, from all 9 tests, we will evaluate it together and decide who has the right to continue these companies."

"Remember, all of you may pass, but there may as well be none." Aruto's voice dug deep to the teens' skull.

"That's impossible, if none of us passes, and then who will inherit the companies!" Amu voiced her disapproval quickly.

This earned her some distaste looks from the other teens for her impoliteness, as no one gave her permission to speak, but she shrugged it off anyways.

"Calm down Hinamori-san, as you know, there is a lot of candidates beside you, you just happened to be number one because you are related to us, but we are ready to replace you anytime, so don't be cocky kid." Aruto replied sharply.

"Wha-"

Amu was about to retort back, but he continued, "Souma-san and Hoshina-san, you should know this fact very well considering your situations."

The three of them did not say anything, but everyone could feel the atmosphere around them changed; obviously Aruto's words affected them greatly.

A petite girl with long golden locks raised her hand.

"Yes, Mashiro-san?"

"The test, it will begin on this Saturday correct?" She asked.

"Yes, as today is only Monday, all of you still have time to prepare, and as it was said earlier, further information will be informed on Friday."

Silence engulfed the room.

"Very well then, you may all go home now if you don't have any more questions."

Snowie-Snowie NOMIE Aquamarine

Yuiki Yaya was silent during her way to her house; she sat on the edge of the seat, looking out through the window of her car.

"_Calm down Hinamori-san, as you know, there is a lot of candidates beside you, you just happened to be number one because you are related to us, but we are ready to replace you anytime, so don't be cocky kid." _

_there is a lot of candidates beside you, you just happened to be number one because you are related to us, but we are ready to replace you anytime, so don't be cocky kid._

_You just happened to be number one because you are related to us, but we are ready to replace you anytime_

_But we are ready to replace you anytime_

_We are ready to replace you anytime_

_Anytime_

_Anytime_

_You just happened to be number one_

_You just happened to be number one_

The words of Aruto Tsukiyomi kept being replayed over and over in her head.

How dare he- they could not be replaced anytime, they were there because they had proven their worth.

Yes, she was there, in the meeting, because she had earned her spot, she did not just happen to be number one candidate, she was there because she had skills.

That… was what the Yuiki heiress thought over and over again, not to convince anyone, but mostly to convince herself.

"_Why is she the heiress again?"_

"_That's the heir?"_

"_Her brother is a much better candidate."_

"_It must be because she is __**firstborn**__."_

"_Such cruel fate,"_

"_Her brother will be a much suitable heir."_

"_Poor kid, if he had the chance, he would be a much better heir."_

_**Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. …**_

Like a chant, the words kept being chanted over and over again in the teen's head during the long way to a place where she could not call it "home".

But no matter what, she could not let her weakness show, that was the first rule she must abide, if she wanted to continue walking down this path.

* * *

><p>Thank you to ponyopwnsyou143 and CrossAngel-Chan<p>

ponyopwnsyou143: I'm sorry if I made them a little too OOC, Kukai's cool tempered-ness has a reason, and so does Nagihiko's, I just hope they will go as well as they do in my mind.

CrossAngel-Chan:

Then I will try my best to surprise you, since I don't want it to be that predictable, be prepared for some plot twists (if I can manage)

;D


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